The robust principal component analysis (RPCA) is a technique of multivariate statistics to assess the social and economic environment quality. This paper aims to explore a RPCA algorithm to analyze the spatial hete...The robust principal component analysis (RPCA) is a technique of multivariate statistics to assess the social and economic environment quality. This paper aims to explore a RPCA algorithm to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of social and economic environment of land uses (SEELU). RPCA supplies one of the most efficient methods to derive the most important components or factors affecting the regional difference of the social and economic environment. According to the spatial distributions of the levels of SEELU,the total land resources of China were divided into eight zones numbered by Ⅰ to Ⅷ which spatially referred to the eight levels of SEELU.展开更多
The research analyzed social and economic development around Chao Lake as well as changes of water quality in Chao Lake and explored the relation- ships of local population and GDP with water chemical oxygen demand (...The research analyzed social and economic development around Chao Lake as well as changes of water quality in Chao Lake and explored the relation- ships of local population and GDP with water chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), chlorophyll and eutrophication index. The re- sults showed that population around Chao Lake and GDP kept growing from 2001 to 2013, and water quality was improving. In addition, correlation analysis indicated that except of water eutrophication, GDP and population showed inverse correlation with other indices, demonstrating that water quality has been effectively controlled in Chao Lake recently.展开更多
The study was conducted to assess the effects of small-scale (artisanal) gold mining and its social and economic implications on the people in Amansie West District of Ghana. The artisanal gold mining communities were...The study was conducted to assess the effects of small-scale (artisanal) gold mining and its social and economic implications on the people in Amansie West District of Ghana. The artisanal gold mining communities were studied using secondary data from scholarly articles and journals, books, conference papers, research reports, policy documents, working papers, and briefs. Descriptive and systematic analyses were conducted. The result indicated that youth aged between 21 - 30 were most likely to engage in illegal mining operations in the selected study areas. The study revealed that farmland had been destroyed, making farming difficult for the inhabitants. It is evident from the review that dug-out pits from mining serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and death traps for humans. The study, therefore, accentuates the need for illegal small-scale gold mining to be formalised and strategic interventions and policies proposed for the protection of Ghana’s Natural resources. Furthermore, community members should be involved in policy-making and environmental protection issues to help control the menace of landscape destruction. Although the ban on illegal gold mining activity by the government has caused more people to lose their jobs leading to livelihood challenges in mining communities, it is a step in the right direction, as the ban seeks to halt and check the illegal small-scale mining sector. The study recommended alternative livelihood and income-generating projects such as beekeeping, mushroom culture, grasscutter rearing, and agroforestry technologies including the growth of economic fruit trees as alternative livelihood ventures.展开更多
China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the...China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the use of DDT and substituting with non-POPs alternatives in antifouling paints. The paper researches the social and economic backgrounds of DDT booster antifouling paint production and usage, analyzes the social and economic impact assessment of the alternatives to DDT usage for antifouling paint. The implementation of the project of alternatives will completely eliminate the adverse impact of DDT booster antifouling paint on terrestrial, marine ecosystem and human health. The broad use of alkali silicate and pepper alkali as substitutes will be feasible if appropriate measures will be taken to encourage their development, and the social and economic risk will be reduced to accepted levels.展开更多
The issue of social and economic development is an important part of theoretical and empirical research of the contemporary economy. China is an example of an economy which in a short period of time achieved success w...The issue of social and economic development is an important part of theoretical and empirical research of the contemporary economy. China is an example of an economy which in a short period of time achieved success within this scope. Therefore it seems to be justified to draw the reader's attention to the factors and determinants which may be regarded as the key ones for the economy of China, both in the period of 1949-1978, namely, in the period of real socialism, and in the period after 1978, so-called "socialist market economy" to date. On the basis of an analysis of Polish and foreign reference sources and source materials, the author tried to trace both similarities and differences in China's economic development over those two periods, first of all paying attention to the Chinese authorities' pragmatism of governing in the other period, accompanied by limiting ideological influences. Maintaining the socialist system, in that period China worked out its own, specific principles, and rules of internal activities and activities in the international arena, which enabled to it the creation of a model, especially for developing countries, the system of economic planning and programming, its constant modernization during the implementation of economic tasks, with the consideration given to changing conditionings in the world economy. It was pointed out that with maintaining the laboriousness of the Chinese and their loyalty to authority, they make up China's economic power. The aim of the article is to pay special attention to the circumstances, phenomena, conditionings, and factors which occurred on the way to the social and economic development of China, which enabled it to achieve the economic success in a relatively short period of time. This success can be expressed by such indicators as for instance the poverty rate, the unemployment rate, gross domestic product, the value of export, and the value of foreign direct investment as well as other factors.展开更多
There are documented differences between the success and failure factors in the developed and developing countries with regard to the adoption and embracement of Openness in e-Government practice models. This paper po...There are documented differences between the success and failure factors in the developed and developing countries with regard to the adoption and embracement of Openness in e-Government practice models. This paper posits that e-Government constitutes a critical context for social and economic development in both developed and developing countries. The paper also suggests that e-Government encompasses more than just technology, that is, attempts to highlight the social and economic implications of changes that have occurred in recent years as a result of the transparency and accountability of government and how software usage can influence digital inclusion, trust and privacy and possible strategies to eliminate the digital divide by encouraging greater public and commercial use and re-use of government information through putting govermnent data on the Web. In addition to leveraging economic development, e-Government also helps to stream line govemment services to more social based values of inclusion and citizens' participation, accessibility and power relationship ratios. Although e-Government is not a new phenomenon in most developed countries such as the US, UK, Japan, most of the European countries and some developing countries in Asia and Africa which have already announced their Open Government Initiatives and data portals it also leads to greater information asymmetry among citizens and government and also, institutionalization and diffusion asymmetry of the practice of the current Openness in e-Government models within developed and developing countries. Drawing on organizational decision-making research and following the explorative and grounded based research approach the findings of this research are that the information asymmetry between citizens and government and asymmetry in institutionalization and diffusion within developed and developing countries are widely attributed to socio-economic and political variations in developed and developing countries. Unless these differences are skill fully identified and accommodated as such into the development and use models, Openness in e-Government efforts would not help achieve the social and economic development goals by both developed and developing countries.展开更多
With the rapid growth in length of expressway, there is a Closer relation between expressway and social and economic development. Through detailed statistics and data, the paper explains the relationship of expressway...With the rapid growth in length of expressway, there is a Closer relation between expressway and social and economic development. Through detailed statistics and data, the paper explains the relationship of expressway and social and economic development, and analyzes the influence on social and economic development.展开更多
On July 4 2002, a project attracting world attention, i.e., the West-East Gas Pipeline Project was declared in full-scale commencement. The project will write history with its enormous social and economic benefits.
With the rise and development of major types of platforms,the competition for resources has become extremely fierce,and the market share of C2C platforms has been seriously threatened by the loss of resources.Therefor...With the rise and development of major types of platforms,the competition for resources has become extremely fierce,and the market share of C2C platforms has been seriously threatened by the loss of resources.Therefore,building and maintaining buyers’satisfaction and loyalty to C2C platforms is critical to the survival and sustainability of C2C platforms in China.However,the current knowledge on how platform satisfaction and loyalty are constructed in the C2C e-commerce environment is incomplete.In this study,seller-based satisfaction and platform-based satisfaction are constructed separately.We further distinguish seller-based transaction satisfaction into economic and social satisfaction and explore their antecedents and consequences.To test our research hypotheses,we conduct a survey and collect data from a real online market(Taobao website).The results show that seller-based transaction satisfaction positively affects platform-based overall satisfaction and loyalty,and that perceived product quality,perceived assurance,and perceived price fairness all have a significant effect on economic satisfaction,whereas perceived relationship quality and perceived empathy significantly influence social satisfaction.These findings help us understand the literature related to customer satisfaction in the context of C2C in China and provide inspiration for online sellers and platforms.展开更多
Background:Acute human African trypanosomiasis(rHAT)caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is associated with high mortality and is fatal if left untreated.Only a few studies have examined the psychological,social a...Background:Acute human African trypanosomiasis(rHAT)caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is associated with high mortality and is fatal if left untreated.Only a few studies have examined the psychological,social and economic impacts of rHAT.In this study,mixed qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of rHAT in Mambwe,Rufunsa,Mpika and Chama Districts of Zambia.Methods:Individuals diagnosed with rHAT from 2004 to 2014 were traced using hospital records and discussions with communities.Either they,or their families,were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were conducted with affected communities.The burden of the disease was investigated using disability adjusted life years(DALYs),with and without discounting and age-weighting.The impact of long-term disabilities on the rHAT burden was also investigated.Results:Sixty four cases were identified in the study.The majority were identified in second stage,and the mortality rate was high(12.5%).The total number of DALYs was 285 without discounting or age-weighting.When long-term disabilities were included this estimate increased by 50%to 462.The proportion of years lived with disability(YLD)increased from 6.4%to 37%of the undiscounted and un-age-weighted DALY total.When a more active surveillance method was applied in 2013-2014 the cases identified increased dramatically,suggesting a high level of under-reporting.Similarly,the proportion of females increased substantially,indicating that passive surveillance may be especially failing this group.An average of 4.9 months of productive time was lost per patient as a consequence of infection.The health consequences included pain,amnesia and physical disability.The social consequences included stigma,dropping out of education,loss of friends and self-esteem.Results obtained from focus group discussions revealed misconceptions among community members which could be attributed to lack of knowledge about rHAT.Conclusions:The social and economic impact of rHAT on rural households and communities is substantial.Improved surveillance and strengthening of local medical services are needed for early and accurate diagnosis.Disease prevention should be prioritised in communities at risk of rHAT,and interventions put in place to prevent zoonotic disease spill over from domestic animals and wildlife.Supportive measures to mitigate the long-term effects of disability due to rHAT are needed.展开更多
Protecting personal credit information through constitutional rights is not only essemtial for individuals to defend against infringements on their personal credit information rights and interests by public power in t...Protecting personal credit information through constitutional rights is not only essemtial for individuals to defend against infringements on their personal credit information rights and interests by public power in the social credit system,but also a requirement for unified legislation on social credit to explore the basis for constitutional norms.In the era of the credit economy,personal credit information has become a vital resource for realizing personal autonomy.Along with the increase in the state’s supervision and control of personal credit,the realization of the autonomous value in the interests related to personal credit information has also set more obligations for the state.Therefore,interests related to personal credit information should be regarded as a constitutional right.Because of its significant economic interest and value,the right to personal credit information should be classified as a constitutional property right.As a constitutional property right,the right to personal credit information can not only help protect people’s economic interests,but also achieve the goal of safeguarding their personality interests.展开更多
This article does some researches on the impact of English Immersion on children. Through the practice and observation of children in the immersion program, we find that English Immersion has the following impacts on ...This article does some researches on the impact of English Immersion on children. Through the practice and observation of children in the immersion program, we find that English Immersion has the following impacts on children: 1) The English language learning is immersed into the process of thematic activities, Children in the Immersion learn English naturally, joyfully and systematically. They tend to cooperate well. 2) The language immersion is an integrated model in which children feel no cultural barriers. 3) English learning enhances the learning of Pingying, and vice versa. 4) There is little gap between genders. 5) Social and economic difference does not influence their learning. 6) English rhyming, chanting and songs arouse great interest in them. 7) Drama makes children very confident in their performance. They learn to think and settle problems through the performance. English immersion gives children cognitive development and enforces the language they are learning.展开更多
The concept of urban forestry is not a new one for town planners and foresters in Malaysia. The difference between the concept now and in the early days is that, in the past, people associated urban forestry primarily...The concept of urban forestry is not a new one for town planners and foresters in Malaysia. The difference between the concept now and in the early days is that, in the past, people associated urban forestry primarily with the planting of trees, rather than seeing it as involving the total development of a designated area. Urban forestry activity in Malaysia started way back in 1778 with the planting of Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus) trees in Malacca, followed by large-scale planting of trees in Penang in 1802. A majority of trees planted at that time were exotic species, such as Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus), rain tree (Samanea saman), and broad-leaved mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), which were meant to provide instant shade and greenery. A more holisticconcept of urban forestry, which not only encompasses simply planting trees but also involves making provisions for preserving the ecosystem, started only in the 1980s. Sincethen, the concept of urban forestry has begun to gain interestand appreciation, encouraging localsto get involved with tree-planting campaigns aspart and parcel of many urban forestry activities. Today, efforts of government agencies such as theForest Research InstituteMalaysia(FRIM), together with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)and the Lions Club of Kuala Lumpur, have helped to inculcate interestin planting trees or greening the nation and to enhance appreciation of the concept of urban forestry as a whole. The importance of urban forestry from the perspective of both economic and social values is reflected not only in the prices of homes located in urban green areas but also in theamountof budget allocated formaintenance and further development of those areas. Everyoneliving in an urban area knows how important urban forestry activities are in day-to-day activities. Therefore, to help readers better understand and appreciate the needs ofan urban population, thispaper highlights not only the roles of urban green spaces butalso discusses the social and economicvalues thatMalaysiansplace on urban forestry.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Scientific Foundation of China(70873118 70821140353 )+4 种基金the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCX2-YW-305-2 KZCX2-YW-326-1)the Ministry of Science and Technology of China ( 2006DFB919201 2008BAC43B012008BAK47B02)~~
文摘The robust principal component analysis (RPCA) is a technique of multivariate statistics to assess the social and economic environment quality. This paper aims to explore a RPCA algorithm to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of social and economic environment of land uses (SEELU). RPCA supplies one of the most efficient methods to derive the most important components or factors affecting the regional difference of the social and economic environment. According to the spatial distributions of the levels of SEELU,the total land resources of China were divided into eight zones numbered by Ⅰ to Ⅷ which spatially referred to the eight levels of SEELU.
基金Supported by Anhui Environmental Protection Scientific Research Program(2014-004)~~
文摘The research analyzed social and economic development around Chao Lake as well as changes of water quality in Chao Lake and explored the relation- ships of local population and GDP with water chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), chlorophyll and eutrophication index. The re- sults showed that population around Chao Lake and GDP kept growing from 2001 to 2013, and water quality was improving. In addition, correlation analysis indicated that except of water eutrophication, GDP and population showed inverse correlation with other indices, demonstrating that water quality has been effectively controlled in Chao Lake recently.
文摘The study was conducted to assess the effects of small-scale (artisanal) gold mining and its social and economic implications on the people in Amansie West District of Ghana. The artisanal gold mining communities were studied using secondary data from scholarly articles and journals, books, conference papers, research reports, policy documents, working papers, and briefs. Descriptive and systematic analyses were conducted. The result indicated that youth aged between 21 - 30 were most likely to engage in illegal mining operations in the selected study areas. The study revealed that farmland had been destroyed, making farming difficult for the inhabitants. It is evident from the review that dug-out pits from mining serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and death traps for humans. The study, therefore, accentuates the need for illegal small-scale gold mining to be formalised and strategic interventions and policies proposed for the protection of Ghana’s Natural resources. Furthermore, community members should be involved in policy-making and environmental protection issues to help control the menace of landscape destruction. Although the ban on illegal gold mining activity by the government has caused more people to lose their jobs leading to livelihood challenges in mining communities, it is a step in the right direction, as the ban seeks to halt and check the illegal small-scale mining sector. The study recommended alternative livelihood and income-generating projects such as beekeeping, mushroom culture, grasscutter rearing, and agroforestry technologies including the growth of economic fruit trees as alternative livelihood ventures.
文摘China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the use of DDT and substituting with non-POPs alternatives in antifouling paints. The paper researches the social and economic backgrounds of DDT booster antifouling paint production and usage, analyzes the social and economic impact assessment of the alternatives to DDT usage for antifouling paint. The implementation of the project of alternatives will completely eliminate the adverse impact of DDT booster antifouling paint on terrestrial, marine ecosystem and human health. The broad use of alkali silicate and pepper alkali as substitutes will be feasible if appropriate measures will be taken to encourage their development, and the social and economic risk will be reduced to accepted levels.
文摘The issue of social and economic development is an important part of theoretical and empirical research of the contemporary economy. China is an example of an economy which in a short period of time achieved success within this scope. Therefore it seems to be justified to draw the reader's attention to the factors and determinants which may be regarded as the key ones for the economy of China, both in the period of 1949-1978, namely, in the period of real socialism, and in the period after 1978, so-called "socialist market economy" to date. On the basis of an analysis of Polish and foreign reference sources and source materials, the author tried to trace both similarities and differences in China's economic development over those two periods, first of all paying attention to the Chinese authorities' pragmatism of governing in the other period, accompanied by limiting ideological influences. Maintaining the socialist system, in that period China worked out its own, specific principles, and rules of internal activities and activities in the international arena, which enabled to it the creation of a model, especially for developing countries, the system of economic planning and programming, its constant modernization during the implementation of economic tasks, with the consideration given to changing conditionings in the world economy. It was pointed out that with maintaining the laboriousness of the Chinese and their loyalty to authority, they make up China's economic power. The aim of the article is to pay special attention to the circumstances, phenomena, conditionings, and factors which occurred on the way to the social and economic development of China, which enabled it to achieve the economic success in a relatively short period of time. This success can be expressed by such indicators as for instance the poverty rate, the unemployment rate, gross domestic product, the value of export, and the value of foreign direct investment as well as other factors.
文摘There are documented differences between the success and failure factors in the developed and developing countries with regard to the adoption and embracement of Openness in e-Government practice models. This paper posits that e-Government constitutes a critical context for social and economic development in both developed and developing countries. The paper also suggests that e-Government encompasses more than just technology, that is, attempts to highlight the social and economic implications of changes that have occurred in recent years as a result of the transparency and accountability of government and how software usage can influence digital inclusion, trust and privacy and possible strategies to eliminate the digital divide by encouraging greater public and commercial use and re-use of government information through putting govermnent data on the Web. In addition to leveraging economic development, e-Government also helps to stream line govemment services to more social based values of inclusion and citizens' participation, accessibility and power relationship ratios. Although e-Government is not a new phenomenon in most developed countries such as the US, UK, Japan, most of the European countries and some developing countries in Asia and Africa which have already announced their Open Government Initiatives and data portals it also leads to greater information asymmetry among citizens and government and also, institutionalization and diffusion asymmetry of the practice of the current Openness in e-Government models within developed and developing countries. Drawing on organizational decision-making research and following the explorative and grounded based research approach the findings of this research are that the information asymmetry between citizens and government and asymmetry in institutionalization and diffusion within developed and developing countries are widely attributed to socio-economic and political variations in developed and developing countries. Unless these differences are skill fully identified and accommodated as such into the development and use models, Openness in e-Government efforts would not help achieve the social and economic development goals by both developed and developing countries.
文摘With the rapid growth in length of expressway, there is a Closer relation between expressway and social and economic development. Through detailed statistics and data, the paper explains the relationship of expressway and social and economic development, and analyzes the influence on social and economic development.
文摘On July 4 2002, a project attracting world attention, i.e., the West-East Gas Pipeline Project was declared in full-scale commencement. The project will write history with its enormous social and economic benefits.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2018YFB1601401).
文摘With the rise and development of major types of platforms,the competition for resources has become extremely fierce,and the market share of C2C platforms has been seriously threatened by the loss of resources.Therefore,building and maintaining buyers’satisfaction and loyalty to C2C platforms is critical to the survival and sustainability of C2C platforms in China.However,the current knowledge on how platform satisfaction and loyalty are constructed in the C2C e-commerce environment is incomplete.In this study,seller-based satisfaction and platform-based satisfaction are constructed separately.We further distinguish seller-based transaction satisfaction into economic and social satisfaction and explore their antecedents and consequences.To test our research hypotheses,we conduct a survey and collect data from a real online market(Taobao website).The results show that seller-based transaction satisfaction positively affects platform-based overall satisfaction and loyalty,and that perceived product quality,perceived assurance,and perceived price fairness all have a significant effect on economic satisfaction,whereas perceived relationship quality and perceived empathy significantly influence social satisfaction.These findings help us understand the literature related to customer satisfaction in the context of C2C in China and provide inspiration for online sellers and platforms.
基金This work was part of the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium,NERC project no.NE/J000701/1was funded with support from the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme(ESPA)+1 种基金The ESPA programme is funded by the Department for International Development(DFID)the Economic and Social Research Council(ESRC)and the Natural Environment Research Council(NERC).
文摘Background:Acute human African trypanosomiasis(rHAT)caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is associated with high mortality and is fatal if left untreated.Only a few studies have examined the psychological,social and economic impacts of rHAT.In this study,mixed qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of rHAT in Mambwe,Rufunsa,Mpika and Chama Districts of Zambia.Methods:Individuals diagnosed with rHAT from 2004 to 2014 were traced using hospital records and discussions with communities.Either they,or their families,were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were conducted with affected communities.The burden of the disease was investigated using disability adjusted life years(DALYs),with and without discounting and age-weighting.The impact of long-term disabilities on the rHAT burden was also investigated.Results:Sixty four cases were identified in the study.The majority were identified in second stage,and the mortality rate was high(12.5%).The total number of DALYs was 285 without discounting or age-weighting.When long-term disabilities were included this estimate increased by 50%to 462.The proportion of years lived with disability(YLD)increased from 6.4%to 37%of the undiscounted and un-age-weighted DALY total.When a more active surveillance method was applied in 2013-2014 the cases identified increased dramatically,suggesting a high level of under-reporting.Similarly,the proportion of females increased substantially,indicating that passive surveillance may be especially failing this group.An average of 4.9 months of productive time was lost per patient as a consequence of infection.The health consequences included pain,amnesia and physical disability.The social consequences included stigma,dropping out of education,loss of friends and self-esteem.Results obtained from focus group discussions revealed misconceptions among community members which could be attributed to lack of knowledge about rHAT.Conclusions:The social and economic impact of rHAT on rural households and communities is substantial.Improved surveillance and strengthening of local medical services are needed for early and accurate diagnosis.Disease prevention should be prioritised in communities at risk of rHAT,and interventions put in place to prevent zoonotic disease spill over from domestic animals and wildlife.Supportive measures to mitigate the long-term effects of disability due to rHAT are needed.
文摘Protecting personal credit information through constitutional rights is not only essemtial for individuals to defend against infringements on their personal credit information rights and interests by public power in the social credit system,but also a requirement for unified legislation on social credit to explore the basis for constitutional norms.In the era of the credit economy,personal credit information has become a vital resource for realizing personal autonomy.Along with the increase in the state’s supervision and control of personal credit,the realization of the autonomous value in the interests related to personal credit information has also set more obligations for the state.Therefore,interests related to personal credit information should be regarded as a constitutional right.Because of its significant economic interest and value,the right to personal credit information should be classified as a constitutional property right.As a constitutional property right,the right to personal credit information can not only help protect people’s economic interests,but also achieve the goal of safeguarding their personality interests.
文摘This article does some researches on the impact of English Immersion on children. Through the practice and observation of children in the immersion program, we find that English Immersion has the following impacts on children: 1) The English language learning is immersed into the process of thematic activities, Children in the Immersion learn English naturally, joyfully and systematically. They tend to cooperate well. 2) The language immersion is an integrated model in which children feel no cultural barriers. 3) English learning enhances the learning of Pingying, and vice versa. 4) There is little gap between genders. 5) Social and economic difference does not influence their learning. 6) English rhyming, chanting and songs arouse great interest in them. 7) Drama makes children very confident in their performance. They learn to think and settle problems through the performance. English immersion gives children cognitive development and enforces the language they are learning.
文摘The concept of urban forestry is not a new one for town planners and foresters in Malaysia. The difference between the concept now and in the early days is that, in the past, people associated urban forestry primarily with the planting of trees, rather than seeing it as involving the total development of a designated area. Urban forestry activity in Malaysia started way back in 1778 with the planting of Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus) trees in Malacca, followed by large-scale planting of trees in Penang in 1802. A majority of trees planted at that time were exotic species, such as Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus), rain tree (Samanea saman), and broad-leaved mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), which were meant to provide instant shade and greenery. A more holisticconcept of urban forestry, which not only encompasses simply planting trees but also involves making provisions for preserving the ecosystem, started only in the 1980s. Sincethen, the concept of urban forestry has begun to gain interestand appreciation, encouraging localsto get involved with tree-planting campaigns aspart and parcel of many urban forestry activities. Today, efforts of government agencies such as theForest Research InstituteMalaysia(FRIM), together with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)and the Lions Club of Kuala Lumpur, have helped to inculcate interestin planting trees or greening the nation and to enhance appreciation of the concept of urban forestry as a whole. The importance of urban forestry from the perspective of both economic and social values is reflected not only in the prices of homes located in urban green areas but also in theamountof budget allocated formaintenance and further development of those areas. Everyoneliving in an urban area knows how important urban forestry activities are in day-to-day activities. Therefore, to help readers better understand and appreciate the needs ofan urban population, thispaper highlights not only the roles of urban green spaces butalso discusses the social and economicvalues thatMalaysiansplace on urban forestry.